Structural building panels have long been used to facilitate modular construction of buildings. The use of structural building panels facilitates the rapid construction of buildings because these prefabricated panels reduce onsite construction time while contributing a higher level of precision to the overall building assembly. In order to increase thermal efficiency of structures constructed from structural building panels, while yielding thermally-sound building systems, insulation may be incorporated with the building panels. The incorporation of insulation provides a structural insulated panel, or “SIP.” Structural insulated building panels are often used in construction; however, such currently-existing SIPs suffer from various deficiencies.
For example, one type of structural insulated building panel is a stressed-skin panel. The structural members (i.e., the skins) form a shell that encapsulates and is often glued to the insulation. Most of the stress on the panels is borne by this structural shell. This is not the most efficient means of bearing stress because it results in material redundancy and waste, increased labor and shipping expenses, and an overall low strength-to-weight ratio. Many stressed-skin SIPs are fabricated using oriented strand board (“OSB”) as their outer skins. OSB is manufactured using materials including chemicals that damage the environment and the health of living organisms. Additionally, OSB stressed-skin panels have limited flexibility in their application due to their rigidity and two-dimensional nature. Using OSB as an outer SIP surfacing material presents difficulties with incorporating and integrating construction components, for example, conduit and wiring, plumbing, and framing members into and through the OSB surface. Further, many OSB stressed-skin panels offer limited aesthetic possibilities due to the non-flexible nature of OSB, its unappealing appearance, and because OSB should be covered or encapsulated and not left exposed as a finish material because gasses from the aforementioned chemicals may leach into the living environment.
The information included in this Background section of the specification, including any references cited herein and any description or discussion thereof, is included for technical reference purposes only and is not to be regarded as subject matter by which the scope of the invention is to be bound.